Pupils’ experiences of affordances in school-based physical activity in Norway and Estonia

Abstract

This study explores the experiences of physical activity (PA) among pupils in Norwegian and Estonian schools. Thirty-eight pupils from five elementary and lower secondary schools provided 66 photos of their favorite places for PA during lessons and recess and participated in nine focus group interviews. The data were reflexively thematically analyzed using Gibson's theory of affordances. The findings indicate that pupils' PA experiences were influenced by physical and social affordances. Physical affordances refer to the PA opportunities offered by the physical school environment, while social affordances refer to the possibilities of the school environment for social interactions during PA.